Sheffield Park Hill Flats: The history of Sheffield's iconic Brutalist flats - where life could be brutal

In architecture, Modernism was employed through the use of new materials, such as concrete, glass and steel, focusing on the function of the structure and rejecting decorative features.

Brutalism shares these key characteristics. The movement began in the early 1950s, as young British architects were inspired by projects in Europe.

Early pioneers were Alison and Peter Smithson who helped to name the style of building they, and others, built in the post-war period.

The adoption of Brutalism was a response to the numerous construction projects needed to rebuild Britain and provide facilities for a growing population.

From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, the government backed schemes to improve town and city centres with new shops and offices, as well as entertainment venues.

Following on from the slum clearance projects of the 1930s, social housing was erected across the country.

Sheffield’s Park Hill area had been designated a slum before the war and saw some demolitions. By the early 1950s, the situation was urgent and the city’s architect J.L. Womersley was perhaps stimulated by the new Brutalist style to prepare plans for multi-storey housing blocks.

These also drew on Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation, constructed at Marseille between 1947 and 1952.

Other Brutalist housing structures constructed around the UK included: Alton West, Roehampton, London; Brooke House, Basildon, Essex; Arlington House, Margate Kent; Trinity, St Albans and St Michael’s Courts, Blackburn; and Wyndham Court, Southampton.

After a long debate, Sheffield Council decided on November 7, 1956, to give the contract for the first flats and shops at Park Hill to its own Public Works Department rather than a private firm.

By 57-25 in the voting, the Labour majority turned down a Con-Lib amendment to refer back, for more consideration, the Housing Committee’s proposal to give the PWD the £2,158,587 job of the first 995 flats and shops in No. 1 development area of the scheme.

On April 25, 1958, Alderman Charles W. Gascoigne, leader of Sheffield Council, along with Alderman P.J.M. Turner, laid the foundation stone to commemorate the start of Park Hill.

Alderman Albert Smith, chairman of the Housing Committee said though the scheme was new, it was only a continuation of the pre-war policy of slum clearance, the necessity for which had been accentuated by the war.

City architect, John Womersley, was awarded the Distinction in Town Planning by the RBA in recognition of distinguished work in the field of town planning and redevelopment.

The citation praised Womersley for work which displayed ‘admirable vision and executive ability of a high order.’

The official opening of Park Hill was performed on June 16, 1961 by Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition, Hugh Gaitskell. He commended the courage, enterprise and determination of the Council in tackling the problem of redevelopment.

He added that one of the important things was Sheffield had developed on the multi-storey principle to provide accommodation for people who were so much in need of homes.

At the opening, Councillor Harold Lambert, chairman of the Housing Development Committee, said Sheffield had often been spoken of as a ‘dirty picture in a golden frame’ but the Council felt it their duty to alter the picture so that it could be more worthy of the frame surrounding it.

He argued the need for multi-story housing was obvious, for there was not enough land within the city to permit the old type of two storey development for housing purposes.

Some housewives living in Park Hill were calling the area a hooligans’ playground by November 1961. There was talk of teenage battles between rival gangs, using bicycle chains and studded belts as weapons, bottle throwing, rowdyism, and ‘lovemaking in the lifts.’

During the remainder of the century and into the next one, there were many varied stories in the news about Park Hill.

Cockroaches were making life unbearable for some residents by July 1975. Mrs Kathleen Fairfax collected 200 signatures for a protest petition which was given to local councillor Reg Munn on 22 July.

Mrs Amy Jones, of Norwich Row, first reported the cockroaches almost three years earlier and had regularly complained to the flats’ housing manager and two public health officials since then.

‘Down at the rent office I’m already known as Mrs Mouse, because of our other unwelcome visitors, but there is nothing funny about having your home ruined.’

During August 1979, one resident wrote an unsigned letter to the Sheffield Morning Telegraph giving details of life there: ‘I have suffered a life sentence of 20 years, without remission in Sheffield Park Hill flats.

‘In that time, I have grown cynical, suspicious and even more convinced than I was 10 years ago that the designers, architects of these high-density monstrosities called flats should be made to suffer the same daily tortures and torments, and all the inadequacies, frustrations and conditions of the tenants who have to live in them.’

In February 1981, it was said that ‘Spiderman’ had returned to snatch the property of more of Park Hill residents with his most daring raid to date.

For the tower block thief, who had burgled flats all over the city, had struck again – burgling five homes in one go. This time he even got away with a pedal cycle from one flat, despite being 20ft up in the air.

Park Hill residents were aiming to brighten up the drab image of the area with a fun-filled community gala in July 1985.

The all-day event – the first to be held – was dreamed up by shopkeeper Janet Bagshaw, who said she was fed up by people assuming the area was a run-down concrete jungle.

Janet, aged 42, who ran a sewing machine shop on The Pavement, off Duke Street, organised the gala in just three weeks, with the help of fellow shop keepers, the local council and South Yorkshire Police.

Hoaxers who set off fireworks during an armed siege at Park Hill could have endangered life it was claimed on June 17, 1993.

A 38-year-old man emerged hands aloft after more than four hours of negotiations as crack police marksman trained their weapons on him. No shots were fired, no weapons recovered and he was released on police bail without charge.

Sheffield councillors backed the call to save Park Hill for the nation as an architectural gem in September 1996. They agreed, despite warnings of a multi-million-pound costs, to save the flats from demolition.

English Heritage singled the flats out as an example of striking post-war building and wanted them to have grade two listing – ranking them with some of Britain’s most important buildings.

The Sheffield Star staged a poll asking readers to give their verdict on whether Park Hill flats should be preserved for the nation as a listed building. Readers voted more than seven to one against preserving them.

On January 5, 2007, it was reported that a £146 million deal for the redevelopment of Park Hill had been signed by national regeneration agency English Partnerships, Sheffield City Council and Urban Splash (a British firm which regenerates decaying industrial warehouses, mills, Victorian terraced houses and other buildings).

During September 2002, 75-year-old Jack Lynn, one of the original architects of the flats, revisited the area.

He said: ‘There is so much we wanted to do but we couldn't due to cost restraints, and I regret that…[Yet] an area previously covered by prefabs and dingy slum terraces was transformed. It was all completely new, and the design was governed by the site itself, which has a one in 10 gradient…’.

He concluded: ‘When I heard of the listed status, I was surprised but absolutely delighted – though I know the reaction around here was shock.’